Get Cam Newton in a Saints jersey as soon as possible.
Yes, the Saints should do it. I know Sean Payton said this week that Taysom Hill has earned the No. 2 spot behind Drew Brees but New Orleans has the chance to grab a proven commodity.
Mickey Loomis has figured out how to make things happen before. He can figure this one out, too.
I don’t care what people think of Cam Newton, because I am in awe of the things that we already know.
All apologies to whomever your favorite player may be, but no one in the modern era of college football had a bigger impact in one season than Cam Newton did at Auburn.
In case you forgot, he took over a team that went 7-5 during the 2009 regular season, with only one win over a ranked opponent. In 2010, those Tigers went 14-0 and beat five Top 25 teams on its way to a national championship.
Newton was the main reason for that by a wide margin. He won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 2854 yards with 30 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions. He also ran for 20 TDs and caught two passes, including one for a score.
That’s 51 touchdowns. No, Auburn’s season wasn’t as dominant as LSU’s was this past year. It wasn’t close. But Auburn wouldn’t have had a chance at a title that year without Cam on the field.
Name two other players from that offense.
I’ll wait.
Not one of the skill players he had around him would have made either of LSU’s first or second teams this season.
He won.
In the NFL, after being the number one pick of that year’s draft, he took the Carolina Panthers from two wins to six on his way to Rookie of the Year honors. He passed for more than 4000 yards and rushed for 700 more.
He threw for 3837 yards and 35 TDs while adding 636 yards and 10 TDs on the ground in 2015 while winning the MVP and leading Carolina to the Super Bowl.
Before the 2019 campaign, Cam played in at least 14 games in every season of his career; playing a full 16 in five of those eight seasons.
He’s 3-4 in the playoffs and is one of 11 quarterbacks to make three or more Pro Bowls since 2011.
He’s also been a nemesis to the Saints. The Panthers were 8-8 against New Orleans in his last 16 starts against the Black and Gold.
Cam isn’t perfect. Far from it. His passing can be erratic, and he does make some poor decisions.
He’s also coming off of two injury-filled seasons, where he looked like he struggled to lead his team.
Again, where was the talent around him?
Give him Mike Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, and Latavius Murray as weapons.
Name another quarterback available right now that you would be more confident in being capable of keeping the Saints on track if Drew Brees did have to miss multiple starts this season.
Don’t think it can’t happen. Peyton Manning started nine games and Denver won the Super Bowl, coincidentally beating Newton’s Panthers.
Go figure.
Anyway, a healthy Newton would be a big upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater, and yes, Taysom Hill as well.
I believe he would seize the opportunity to be challenged and to compete. I fully buy in when I see Newton’s desire on social media.
With a scientist like Brees and a mind like Payton’s, and the standards that the Saints have set, I also believe that Newton would have no problem fitting in.
He was known for being all business in the Panthers’ quarterbacks room, and as an involved leader and teammate.
Here is a Newton quote taken from the Amazon Prime series “All or Nothing”:
“We’ve got to come together. Everybody. Not for our personal game, just for this team,” said Newton. “We’ve got young guys that’s hungry, we’ve got leadership, got talent. Everything to win a championship is in this [expletive] room. But I want everybody to realize that it’s gonna take every single person in this room to strain just a little bit more.
“Strain just a little bit more for me. Strain just a little bit more for us. And I guarantee you when we can’t strain no more, it’ll all be worth it.”
Newton has been judged based on circumstantial evidence.
Cam Newton in New Orleans means the Saints don’t have to spend needed draft capital on a rookie quarterback who couldn’t help now. It means Hill can get meaningful reps as a backup and he’d still be available to be utilized in the multipurpose role he has excelled in the past two seasons.
The current king of Cams, Cam Jordan has already voiced his approval on social media.
The same Cam Jordan whose on-field beef with Cam Newton got so big it became the subject of its own video breakdown.
If he’s good with it, so am I. Really, I’d be good with it even if he weren’t, but still. It helps.
He’s worth the risk, and could prove to be a huge reward by next season’s end.
Sign Cam Newton, Mickey. You got this.